Gen Z: Who They Are and How You Can Prepare to Recruit Them

Move over Millennials, there is a new generation entering the job market! In 2020, Gen Z will make up 20% of the workforce. There has been so much talk and advice on how to best recruit Millennials, that Gen Z – speculatively the most tech savvy generation – has gone unnoticed! Until now.

But Who IS Gen Z?

Generation Z is the generation after the Millennial generation. They are defined as people born in the mid-1990s to the early 2000s (more specifically, 1996 – 2014), and they currently account for 25% of the U.S. population. Yes, they are larger than the Baby Boomers and the Millennials!

Gen Z’s Top Qualities

Technology – This generation is quite literally wired. They have never known a world without an internet! Those on the younger side have never even known a world without smartphones. On average, Gen Z spends between 6 – 9 hours per day absorbing media. Unsurprisingly, their preferred method of communication is digital.

Diversity ­– Gen Z is very diverse. Six of the 15 most common last names in the United States were of Hispanic origin in 2010, compared to none of the top 15 in 1990.

Independent ­– Okay, so they’re not exactly independent of technology. But they are more independent than their preceding generations due to a “hands-off” parenting approach. This has led to Gen Z being self-directed and confident, although this can sometimes be associated with a lack of boundaries.

Gen Z Hiring Trends

This may come as a shock given the stereotype of the “lazy” Millennials, but 77% of Gen Z is actually expected to work harder than their previous generations! They believe that the most important components that make up a great job are a great work/life balance, stability, and performing “fulfilling” work – And they are willing to work hard for the right job.

Currently, 56% of Gen Z does not have a job, 37% are working part-time, 7% are full-time workers. As more will enter the workforce by the year 2020, 75% of this generation will be looking for careers that not only provide stability, but healthcare and benefits as well. They’re also searching for positions that will allow them to perform multiple roles within the same place of employment. As of right now, healthcare is the #1 career pursued by Gen Z, with marketing coming in at the #2 spot.

Promoting mental health in the workplace is important for many reasons, one of the primaries being that nearly one in five Americans are affected by mental health or neurological disorders. With such a high statistic, it’s becoming crucial that more employers are aware of mental health issues and work diligently to promote wellness.

Mental Health Issues Can Develop

Mental health issues can be in effect prior to employment but can also develop during employment. In many cases, these developments are associated with high stress. An unhealthy work environment or a work environment that does not promote mental health can easily cause an increase in mental health issues among employees. With an increase in employees affected by mental health, a decrease in productivity will be seen. An employer should be proactive in mental health and keep all employees aware of factors that increase mental health risks. Offering strategies to help with mental health and maintaining a positive pathway to mental health are ways employers can easily promote mental health in the workplace.

How Employers are Affected

Poor mental health can lead to a decrease in productivity as well as cause a large increase in compensation claims. This is a costly business expense that can easily be avoided with the proper promotion of mental health. Mental health issues also lead to frequent and drawn out absenteeism in the workplace. This affects both productivity and even the general functioning of the business. Overall, not promoting mental health in the workplace may be extremely costly to a company and is so easily avoidable.

What You Can Do

These days, most jobs tend to be high-stress and increase the intensity of an employee’s responsibility. Helping an employee become resistant against these pressures and cope with their stresses will greatly reduce their chances of having mental health issues. This will allow employees to be productive, present, and focused on the task at hand in the workplace. Here are a few simple steps you can take to begin promoting mental health wellness:

Encourage Dialog

End the taboo of discussing mental health by making it a normalcy. Have your managers begin by encouraging them to talk about challenges they have faced to establish the line of communication and trust among employees.

Improve Working Conditions

This can be anything from introducing healthy meal plans to providing more flexibility of work hours to create a better work-life balance. Help your employees reduce their stress levels by making minor adjustments to promote positivity.

Make Monitoring Routine

Preventative measures can go a long way and may just save a life. Watch for red flags by implementing monthly checks and have employees make self-reports through surveys.